What’s actually in poke?

Being on the Pacific Rim, it’s inevitable that East Asian and especially Japanese ingredients are the main flavours.

It means in Hawaii, poke is mostly dressed with a soy sauce, sesame oil, seaweed and spring onions.

The original is topped with kukui nuts for a contrasting texture. Here in London, they use other nuts like macadamia or cashew.

Poke is now so popular that many non-Hawaiian chefs have been adding it to their menu too.

Some of the other variations to this very simple dish include using different fish, like salmon and scallops. Elsewhere, they are offering different dressings like wasabi mayonnaise or Sriracha mayonnaise.

It’s not sushi, sashimi or ceviche

Don’t confuse it with sushi (Picture: Getty)

Poke is different from Japanese sashimi and sushi as the fish used in the dishes are not marinated and the preparation involves very precise slicing of the fish. Sushi is also made with a flavoured rice, which is not seen in poke.

Poke might be considered much more similar to ceviche but it is not cured with any citrus juices, unlike Peruvian ceviche.

It is merely a bowl of raw fish, roughly cut, dressed in an Asian dressing and sometimes it has some nuts, fruit and vegetables added to it.